Sergio Perez is hyped up for his F1 return in the 2026 season after sitting out, looking for opportunities throughout 2025. He did manage to clinch one of the seats at Cadillac, which will mark its debut this season. Perez will be accompanied by former Mercedes and Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas. While this is set to be a new start for Checo, his ugly exit from Red Bull Racing still seems to be looming over his head.

Just weeks before drivers hit the track for testing, he dropped a major claim, targeting the team’s internal workings. His claims questioned the team’s alleged favor for Max Verstappen, while stating that “everything was a problem” for the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

Sergio Perez fires shots at RBR

The Mexican driver had been a part of the team since the 2021 season, finishing fourth in the standings while Verstappen won his first title. He witnessed an upward trend in the following two seasons, before a major downfall in 2024, which ultimately led to his departure. But even though it looked quite simple on the track, there was quite a lot that went on behind the scenes.

Perez wanted a more balanced car. In fact, RBR did manage to deliver that at the start of 2022. He even claimed that he was going faster than his teammate, Max Verstappen, as the car suited his driving style. But as the season went on, the team introduced new upgrades that made the car more favorable for Verstappen.

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Perez claimed that the team always had an issue, whether it was going faster than his teammate or slower.

“At Red Bull, everything was a problem,” Pérez said. “If I was too fast, that was a problem,” he said in the Cracks podcast. “It created a very tense atmosphere at the team. If I was faster than Max, that was a problem. If I was slower than Max, that was a problem too. Everything was a problem.”

2023 was the best season that Sergio Perez had throughout his F1 journey so far. Although miles away from Verstappen, he finished the season in second place. But this was simply because the team had no other competitor. Moreover, Verstappen’s win with a 290-point gap reflected just how much the car was made in his favor.

Despite much speculation, Red Bull Racing gave Perez a two-year extension on his contract in the midst of the 2024 season. While this did guarantee him a seat for the next two seasons, it seemingly came with a performance clause. While his teammate remained strong on the track and won his fourth consecutive title, Perez struggled with the car. He reported major balancing issues throughout the season and finished eighth in the standings.

Shortly after the season ended, the team announced his departure, leaving him without a secure option. He did not work with any teams throughout the year, but Perez did manage to find a strong option with Cadillac.

Could Perez outperform Red Bull with Cadillac?

Cadillac’s performance in its debut year as the 11th team on the Formula 1 grid is a big question mark. However, that can be said for all of the teams, as the new engine and aerodynamic regulations are more of a blank canvas. Only speculations can be drawn from the current reports of the teams’ developments, and Red Bull is certainly on an interesting scale.

Initially, RBR was not speculated to have a very strong engine, owing to the fact that they are developing their own engines in association with Ford. However, a recent report claimed that the team had found a loophole in the new regulations, allowing them to boost the engine power.

Meanwhile, Cadillac will be powered by Ferrari in its initial years. Although the Italian manufacturer is reliable with their power units, they might not have the edge over Red Bull. Even if they do, the aerodynamics and the car’s overall design will be yet another challenge.

Overall, it could be tough for Sergio Perez to straightaway outperform his former team on the grid. However, there could be some races where the American muscle outperforms the Max Verstappen – Isack Hadjar combo, especially owing to Perez’s claims.